Historical, Mythical and Religious Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud in their Middle Persian Context Azadeh Ehsani Chombeli A Thesis In the Department Of Religions and Cultures Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Religion) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 2018 © Azadeh Ehsani Chombeli, 2018 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Azadeh Ehsani Chombeli Entitled: Historical, Mythical and Religious Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud in their Middle Persian Context and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Religion) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final examining committee: Chair Dr. Marguerite Mendell _____________________________________________External Examiner Dr. Touraj Daryaee _____________________________________________External to Program Dr. Ivana Djordjevic _____________________________________________Examiner Dr. Naftali Cohn _____________________________________________Examiner Dr. Mark Hale _____________________________________________Thesis Supervisor Dr. Richard Foltz Approved by __________________________________________________________ Dr. Leslie Orr, Graduate Program Director Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Dr. André Roy, Dean Faculty of Arts and Science ABSTRACT Historical, Mythical and Religious Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud in their Middle Persian Context Azadeh Ehsani Chombeli, Ph.D Concordia University, 2018 This dissertation offers a comparative study between a number of Talmudic and Middle Persian narratives. The present work seeks first and foremost to examine Talmudic narratives in their Iranian context, and secondly to examine the Talmudic background of Iranian narratives where applicable. The first and second chapters will offer an analysis of the alteration of historical and Biblical figures in the Bavli (the Babylonian Talmud) based on the influence of Iranian mythical and historical figures, while the third chapter will provide an account of how Iranists can learn from Talmudic Studies. Here we suggest that a Talmudic narrative may have encouraged Zoroastrian priests to compose an extensive work of religious literature, namely the Ardā-Virāz Nāmag, an idea which will be further explored in the appendix. The relationship between Iranian and Jewish materials in the Talmudic era is merely a piece of a larger puzzle, a piece that a number of scholars—such as Elman, Secunda, Mokhtarian, Herman, Kiel, Kalmin etc.—have recently begun to focus on. By focusing on Talmudic narratives that have not yet been sufficiently examined for Iranian themes and ideas, this dissertation represents a contribution towards piecing this puzzle together. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Richard Foltz, a dedicated Iranist who is not only a knowledgeable scholar of Iranian Studies, but someone whose love and devotion for Iran’s history and culture has been the strongest motivating force during the years of my work. I appreciate the earnestness, enthusiasm and diligence that led him to his tremendous knowledge of Iranian Studies. His constant support and guidance have been exceptional; I admire him not only as a prominent scholar, but also as a role model. I would also like to give my special thanks to two professors to whom I also owe a great deal, Naftali Cohn and Ira Robinson. Professor Cohn’s immense and up-to-date knowledge of Talmud and Mishnah Studies paved the way for me to develop my own knowledge of Talmudic studies, and I thank him for his graciousness and devotion. Distinguished Professor Ira Robinson has been the most generous and patient professor a student could ever ask for, and I cannot thank him enough. Our walks through the narrow alleyways of ancient Babylon during our Talmud reading classes are memories I will always treasure. I would additionally like to thank distinguished Professor Mark Hale, who I have always sincerely appreciated for his expertise and knowledge of ancient Iranian languages. I am grateful that I had this chance to attend his incredible Pahlavi class. I would further like to extend my thanks to all of the faculty members of the Department of Religions and Cultures, from whom I learnt enormously. While I appreciate the individual devotion they all demonstrate, I would especially like to acknowledge Professor Leslie Orr for her encouragement and support, particularly in the last months of my studies. iv In addition I would like to acknowledge Tina Montondon and Munit Merid. I would not have been able to complete this task without their assistance, and would especially like to acknowledge Tina’s positive vibes and endless helpfulness. Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to Professor Katayoun Mazdapour, an eminent professor of ancient languages and cultures of Iran. I will always be grateful for her constant willingness to help and guide me throughout this processes. Her remarkable knowledge of Pahlavi literature is a treasure she shares with modesty. And I would like to particularly thank my first teacher of ancient Iranian languages and culture, Mr. Fereydoun Joneydi, to whom I owe what I have become today. I still remember the first Pahlavi sentence he wrote on our class board around 20 years ago. And finally I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family—my parents Mojgan Hajiyeh Ehsani and Bakhtiar Aboutaleb Ehsani, and my siblings Arezou, Armaghan and Anahita, are the most caring, loving and devoted family anyone could wish for. It is impossible to put their support and encouragement into words words, particularly my mother’s constant positivity, hopefulness and inspiration. This was one of my strongest motivations to keep going. I would also like to acknowledge my mother-in-law, Mrs. Sakineh Bagheri, whose passion for my studies and inspiration I appreciate very much. My feelings of gratitude towards my beloved husband, Mr. Shahram Abazari, are beyond words. He has always been there for me. When we first met I was a curious explorer of ancient languages, and since then he has been nothing but supportive. During the past eight years I have had to leave home to attend courses at Concordia, and even when I decided to take our sweet one year old son—whom he adores and missed desperately—with me for almost a year, he v never stopped supporting and encouraging me. And I want to thank God for bestowing me the most precious thing in the world, my lovable, wise and understanding little son Varahram. He was born to a student mother and is now six years old. I always appreciate his caring and loving attitude, as well as his patience and wisdom. I want him to know that he is the motivation behind all of our undertakings. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations, Citations, Terminology ........................................................................................x Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 0.1 Persian Culture and the Sages ........................................................................................5 0.2 Outline of the Dissertation ...........................................................................................12 0.3 Recent Studies in Irano-Talmudica ..............................................................................14 0.4 Irano-Talmudica Studies: Areas of Focus ....................................................................24 0.4.1 Law and Legal Dicta .....................................................................................24 0.4.2 Mythology ....................................................................................................26 0.4.3 Linguistics .....................................................................................................27 0.4.4 Literature .......................................................................................................29 0.4.5 History and Culture .......................................................................................31 0.4.6 Religious Interactions ...................................................................................32 0.4.7 Manichaeism and Rabbinic Judaism .............................................................33 0.4.8 Eastern Christian Texts and Rabbinic Judaism .............................................34 0.4.9 Archaeology (Magic Bowls and Jewish Seals) .............................................35 Capter 1: Ardaxšēr ī Pābagān and Herod .................................................................................38 1.1 Ardaxšēr ī Pābagān .....................................................................................................41 1.2 Herod the Great ...........................................................................................................42 1.3 The Quest for Legitimacy ...........................................................................................44 1.3.1 How Jewish Babylonian sages perceived Herod in B. Bat. 3b-4a ...............46 1.3.2 How Zoroastrian priests perceived Ardaxšēr ī Pābagān ..............................48 1.3.4 Ardaxšēr and the Jews ..................................................................................52 1.4 The Sasanian Kings are mentioned in the Bavli .........................................................54